There are two constants about elections that can't be repeated often enough: Beforehand, you need to vote. Afterward, the candidates who won need to shift from campaigning to governing.

That applies to Democrats and Republicans, long-term incumbents and first-win challengers, from the local level to Washington, D.C. These officials have a responsibility to all the people they represent, whether they voted for them or not.

That can be difficult after a bitter campaign that may have featured some name-calling.

To a certain extent, that's OK. Politics can be a rough-and-tumble sport. It would be naive to think that all campaigns could be conducted with the restraint and decorum of a Lincoln-Douglas debate.

But now the lawn signs are coming down, the bumper stickers are being taken off. Now, there's no more "us" and "them." Now, there's only "Americans."